Morning links while waiting for

Morning links while waiting for David Ortiz’s homerun to land. I do have to hand it to Dan Shaughnessy. Yes, he gave Ortiz the horrible tag at the beginning of the season, but this past weekend, noting that Ortiz had something like 22 RBI in his last 14 games, (A number that has gone up since then.) Shaughnessy tagged him the “Dominican Yaz”. I think that fits nicely. Gordon Edes thinks Ortiz would hold his own in hanging out with the Babe, as well. Jeff Horrigan looks at a gritty performance by Derek Lowe. Steven Krasner says that this club wants to go the way of the 2002 Angels. David Heuschkel looks at an overall good evening for Ortiz, Lowe and the boys. Tony Massarotti touts Bill Mueller for MVP. Not of the team, of the American League. Bob Ryan looks at Mike Hargrove, looking to get back to the postseason in the near future. Stan Grossfeld has the story of Duane Thomas, a Cowboys running back in the early ’70’s who didn’t speak to the media. The lesson? Pedro and Manny should start talking to the media if they know what’s good for them. Massarotti also looks at the never-ending shuffling of roles in the bullpen. Krasner’s notebook looks at Nixon’s calf injury, which has him on day-to-day status. Edes’ notebook has more on Nixon. Horrigan’s notebook looks at Dave McCarty, who following the example of Brooks Kieschnick, wants to become a two-way player next year, pitcher and first baseman/outfielder.

Michael Felger has his Patriots Insider, sort of a mid-week notes column in which he touches on the Eagles, Drew and of course more Lawyer. Speculation immediately begins on who the writer outside Boston that Milloy is ticked at. Curran? Greenberg? Speaking of Tom Curran, he reports that Victor Green would like to come back to the Patriots. He says “I love Bill Belichick as a coach.” Shira Springer looks at Richard Seymour, gearing up to take on a bigger leadership role. Steve Buckley has a very good pay column on Seymour and his reaction to Milloy’s shooting his mouth off. Seymour isn’t happy with Milloy’s comments, and hopes he’ll say he was wrong when he cools off. He adds:

"He just got cut by the Patriots,'' he said. "He just went over to the Bills. He said it's more of a family atmosphere over there. He knew that in just four days? You know? He'd been here for eight years, and I think it was more emotions talking at that point, and not his true feelings at that point."

Buckley notes that Milloy is sounding a lot like Shea Hillenbrand these days, and says:

Hillenbrand was dismissed as a crank, this because he is boorish and immature, a young man whose head, both physically and emotionally, has swelled to the size of a Volkswagen. But, again, Milloy is talented, well-liked and intelligent. So when he takes shots at his old team, it is viewed as proof positive that Gillette Stadium is an unhappy, war-torn place, and that Bill Belichick is an evil man. (Nobody took personal shots at Belichick when the Patriots won the Super Bowl. But then he cut Lawyer Milloy, which makes him, in the eyes of some people, the meanest man in Norfolk County not living at MCI Walpole.)